THE INTREPID

It was the last night the Intrepid would be docked at Pier 86 on the Hudson River before being floated away to dry dock for a two-year makeover. I had been meaning to capture on film this historic carrier but kept putting it off. This was to be my last opportunity to document this stage of the Intrepid's history, and, happily, I did not let the opportunity pass.

After a first attempt weeks earlier had failed to budge the giant carrier from the river floor that held it, the Intrepid was successfully coaxed away from its moorings. The ship proceeded in stately fashion past the Statue of Liberty, and then unfurled its gigantic American flag as she passed the Ground Zero shore point in tribute to those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

The World War II vessel will be refurbished over the next two years in dry dock in Bayonne, NJ. While there, the outside of the ship will be repainted in classic battleship gray, and many of the military aircraft on its flight deck will be restored. Pier 86 will be entirely rebuilt as well.